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Players declaring for the draft have the option to participate in their school’s bowl game, if they qualified.

Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary, for example, declared for the NFL Draft and is skipping the Peach Bowl against Florida, according to several reports.

With Stidham leaving, that opens the door for former professional baseball player Cord Sandberg, a Manatee High graduate from Bradenton to become the starter next year.

However, there is plenty of competition for the dual-threat Sandberg, who guided Manatee to a state title in 2011 as a junior before turning down Mississippi State in favor of a pro baseball career with the Phillies.

Auburn has two other quarterbacks, Malik Willis and Joey Gatewood, ahead of Sandberg on the depth chart, according to OurLads.com. The Tigers also have a committment from Nix, a four-star dual-threat quarterback from Pinson, Alabama, as well as awaiting Kelly Bryant’s transfer decision, which expected to come at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Bryant was the quarterback at Clemson in 2017, but lost his starting job to freshman Trevor Lawrence and decided to leave the Tigers. While the University of Miami was considered a possible destination earlier this season, Bryant trimmed his potential suitors down to five.

Auburn and Missouri are considered the favorites, according to multiple reports, among his final five that also includes Arkansas, Mississippi State and North Carolina.